Road Testing Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
I have started with cavaliers largely because many of us believe that these are the sweetest dogs on the planet. Their temperament is always sweet and happy; they are great with children, old people, families and single people; really they will fit in with any situation. I don’t think I have ever heard of a cavalier biting anyone. They are not yappy. On the other hand, they are not good guard dogs unless tripping the burglar counts as they show them around your home.
They don’t really require much exercise but will usually try to comply with whatever you want, but most of them will be moderately lazy. Their best feature is their fantastic temperament, but they are also very pretty dogs as well.
Now we come to the problems in the breed. Remember, every breed has problems related to their breed so do not let this put you off them. Their worst feature is that they very frequently develop heart disease when they are older. Most cavaliers will develop problems with their heart valves at a somewhat earlier age than other breeds and may develop heart failure due to this. It can usually be controlled for long periods with medication, but many cavvies will ultimately die from heart disease.
Their head shape is brachycephalic ie the nose is fairly short and the head is rather round. This reduces the amount of space in the pharynx and some can have some breathing problems. A long soft palate is common - this can be altered surgically but it is usually not necessary- often the only sign seen is that they snore.
Coat and skin This is a breed which is often sensitive to fleas but normal care of the coat will usually be adequate. However, the coat is moderately long so normal care does involve regular brushing or clipping as well as bathing, flea control and monitoring their ears. Their floppy ears do predispose them to some ear infections but this applies to all floppy eared dogs.
In every breed there will be a few unusual diseases of which there are occasional reports. In cavvies there is an unusual malformation of the skull and neck which causes fluid build up in the spinal cord called syringomyelia. Finally, if asked by the public what is the best small breed dog there is; a high percentage of vets will answer Cavalier King Charles Spaniels because their temperament is so good, and ultimately the temperament and personality is the most important feature in any dog. Rosalie
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Their eyes are very prominent. This is partly why they look so cute. However, large prominent eyes are a bit predisposed to injury; as they age they may develop dry eyes (where they do not produce enough tear film) - if detected fairly early this is controlled with eye medications; they can get retinal problems and cataracts but this is not very common.